Folding umbrella



MILTON R. STUDAMS, OF BRlD GETON, NElV JERSEY.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,925, dated August 9, 1898.

Application filed October 8, 1897.

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MILTON R. STUDAMS, of Bridgeton, in the county ofOumberland and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Umbrellas, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a folding umbrella which will be exceedingly simple and durable in its construction, and, furthermore, to provide a means whereby an umbrella may be made of much greater size or spread than ordinary and the stick and ribs so adjusted that the umbrella may be folded up to about one-half the length of the stick and the length of the ribs when the umbrella is in use or whereby the stick may be so adjusted that an exceedingly large umbrella may be reduced to such size that it may be conveniently used as a walking-stick.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through an umbrella constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, drawn on a larger scale, through the umbrella when reduced to its smallest size. Fig; 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through. the umbrella, the cover and ribs beingsimply dropped around thestick; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the umbrella-stick, the section being taken substantially on the line ltof Fig. 2.

The umbrella-stick is constructed, preferably, in three sections-an upper section A, a lower section B, and an intermediate section 0. The upper section may be tubular or it may be solid; but the lower and intermediate sections of the stick are tubular for the greater portion of their length, although preferably made solid at their lower ends. The upper section A is provided with the usual umbrellaspring 10, which spring is adapted for engagement with the runner 1 1 of the umbrella to hold the umbrella-cover in an upper position when the umbrella is open. The sections of Serial No. 654,531. (No model.)

the stick when the stick is of greatest length enter one another a sufficient distance to af ford the necessary rigidity, and in one side of the inner face of the lower or handle section B a vertical groove 12 is made, which at its upper end connects with an opening 12, extending through the side of the section. A similar and corresponding groove 13 is made in the intermediate section of the stick, the groove 13 connecting with an opening 13 in the said intermediate section. The openings and grooves are best shown in Fig. 2.

Any form of handle B may be secured to the lower section of the stick, and in the lower end ofthe intermediate section and the lower end of the upper section of the stick, at that side oflthe sections in which the grooves 12 and 13 are; placed, spring-latches 14 and 15 are employed, the latch 14 being in the lower portion. of the upper stick-section and the latch 15 in the lower portion of the intermediate stick-section. These spring-latches may be of, the usual umbrella type, and when the sections of the stick are carried outward to make the stick as long as possible the head of the latch let will extend through the opening 13 in the intermediate section and the latch 15 in the intermediate section will extend outward through the opening 12 in the handle-section of the stick, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the side of both the intermediate and the handle sections of the stick, opposite the sides in which the grooves 12 and 13 are made, longitudinal slots 16 and 16 are produced in the intermediate and handle sections, extending from theirupper ends downward a predeter mined'distancein direction of their lower or inner ends. The grooves 12 and 13 are pro vided inorder that when thehsections of the stick are telescoped the latches 14 and 15 will enter the grooves 12 and 13, guiding the sections in their movement and insuring the upper latch 10 for the runner entering the slots .16 and 16 in the intermediate and lower sections of the stick. A clamping-ring 17 is adjustably placed on the handle-section and receives the inner ends'of the ribs when the umbrella is folded or closed. V g g The crown-piece 18 is secured to the upper section of the stick near its'ferrule end in any approved manner. The crown-piece 18, l1owever, is provided with an inner chamber 19, into which chamber the runner 11 is entered when the umbrella is to be folded, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The ribs are pivoted to the crown-piece 18 in the usual or in any approved way, and each rib is made in two about equal sections 20 and 21, as particularly shown in Fig. 1. These sections of the ribs are pivotally connnected, and the outer section of each rib is provided with a heel 22, which will engage with the under face of the upper ribsection 20 when the umbrella is opened. The outer sections 21 of the ribs are arranged to fold over upon the outside of the inner ribsections 20, and the ribs are held in proper position when the umbrella is open by means of the cover 23, which is attached to the ribs in the usual way and is secured to the crownpiece, being covered at its point of attachment with the said crown-piece by a band 24 or the equivalent of the same. The inner or upper sections 20 of the ribs are pivotally attached to the runner 11 by means of the usual stretchers 25.

The umbrella may be raised and lowered in the ordinary way and when closed in the ordinary manner will appear as shown in Fig. 3. If it be desired, the handle-sections may be telescoped to a greater or less extent, so as to shorten the handle, or the umbrella may be folded up to about one-half the length of the usual umbrella by completely telescoping the handle-sections and after the ribs have been carried or folded down around the handle-sections carrying the lower sections of the ribs outward and upward upon the upper sections, as shown in Fig. 2. When the umbrella is thus folded, it is held in the folded position by means of a tape 26 and a button 27, located upon the inside of the cover; but when the umbrella is simply closed a second tape 28 and button 29 are employed to hold the umbrella-ribs and cover close around the stick, the second tape 28 being secured to the out side of the cover of the umbrella in the usual way.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. In a folding umbrella, a stick formed of telescoping sections adapted to be locked together when extended, the upper section bein g provided with a runner spring retainingbeing provided with a runner spring retaining-catch, and the lower. and intermediate sections being provided with longitudinal slots, vertical grooves in their inner faces, and openings with which the upper ends of the said grooves connect, and spring-latches carried by the upper and intermediate sections, substantially as described.

3. Afolding umbrella, comprising a stick formed of three telescoping sections,the upper section being provided with a runner-catch and the intermediate and lower stick-sections being each provided with a longitudinal slot, a Vertical groove in its inner face and an opening at the upper end of the groove, springlatches carried by the upper and intermediate sections, a crown-piece on the upper section, sectional and hinged ribs pivoted to the crownpiece, a runner on the upper section, and braces pivoted to the runner and to the inner rib-sections, substantially as described.

4. A folding umbrella, comprising a stick formed of telescoping sections, the upper section being provided with a runner-catch and the intermediate and lower sections being each longitudinally slotted and provided with openings, spring-latches carried by the upper and intermediate sections of the stick,a crownpiece secured to the upper stick-section and provided with a chamber in its under face, a runner on the upper section of the stick and adapted to enter the chamber of the crown when the umbrella is folded, said runner being of a diameter to receive the intermediate sticksectionto permit the umbrella to be closed in the ordinary way, ribs formed of hinged sections and pivoted to the crown-piece, and braces pivoted to the inner rib-sections and to the runner, substantially as described.

5. A folding umbrella, consisting of a stick formed of three telescoping sections,the upper section being provided with a runner-catch and the intermediate and lowersections being each provided with a longitudinal slot, a vertical groove in its inner face, and an opening at the upper end of the groove, spring-latches carried by the upper and intermediate sticksections, a crown-piece on the upper stick-section and having a chamber in its under face, sectional and hinged ribs pivoted to the crownpiece, a runner on the upper stick-section, braces pivoted to the runner and to the inner rib-sections, and a cover secured to the crownpiece and to the ribs, substantially as herein shown and described.

MILTON R. STUDAMS.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY O. Husrnn, WALTER II. FELMEY. 

